


You, It’s Always Been You

by Superstitious



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Bisexual Harley Keener, Cheating, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gay Peter Parker, Harley Keener Needs a Hug, Harley Keener can get it, Harley Keener is oblivious, Idiots in Love, Inspired by Taylor Swift, It's soft hours guys, Jealous Peter, Jealousy, Love Confessions, M/M, MJ is a Good Bro, PROM!!!!!!!!!, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is a Good Bro, Peter Pines For 5K, Pining, Precious Peter Parker, Prom, Soft Boys, Song: You Belong With Me (Taylor Swift), Sorry Liz, Wow there is now so much angst, so much pining, until he isn't, you all know where this is going
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-10-20 15:00:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20677310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Superstitious/pseuds/Superstitious
Summary: Harley is the attractive, charismatic captain of the lacrosse team while Peter does academic decathlon in his free time.  They're friends and fellow interns. After two long years spent watching Harley date a revolving door of people, can Peter finally convince him that what he's looking for has been here the whole time?Loosely inspired by Taylor Swift’sYou Belong with Me(so you all know where this is going).





	You, It’s Always Been You

**Author's Note:**

> _Suggested listening:_  
\- Somebody to You by The Vamps ft. Demi Lovato  
\- Let It Be Me by Steve Aoki ft. The Backstreet Boys  
\- If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes  
\- You Belong with Me by Taylor Swift

Peter Parker befriended Harley Keener on a Monday, fell in love on a Thursday, and spent the next year and a half getting his heart broken.

Harley was the type of guy who was never single. Whether it be a relationship, hookup, or casual dating – he always had someone. That someone was just never Peter. The one and only time that he could recall Harley being unattached was when they met during sophomore spring at orientation for the Stark Internship. His single status didn’t last long after that though. Word spread around the high school like wildfire of Harley landing an esteemed Stark Internship.

Post-announcement, h quickly found his next girlfriend in Mei, a petite Asian girl on the tennis team. After Mei was Ashley, the bleach-blonde goalie on the lacrosse team. Then came Sam, who was built like a Greek God and captain of the swimming and diving team. After Sam was Naomi, the lithe dance team captain. Harley’s most recent boyfriend was Bryce, a 6’3” menace on the basketball court. In between Bryce, Naomi, Sam, Ashley and Mei were many more dates and flings Peter had suffered through in silence as Harley’s loyal friend.

In hindsight, all of the above is why Peter should have known that Harley had ulterior motives for hanging around decathlon practice on a Friday night.

If Harley Keener wasn’t amazing enough already, he was also captain of Midtown Tech’s lacrosse team. There was a big football game at 8, and Peter assumed the lacrosse team would be pre-gaming for it soon. Why did Harley want to hang around acadeca practice instead?

“What are you up to, Keener?” Peter asked, nudging Harley with his shoulder. The two boys were seated side by side in plastic chairs while they waited for practice to wrap up.

Harley never took his eyes off the stage, where MJ was properly embarrassing Flash (again). “What, can’t I just come and support my friend? You’ve sat in on plenty of my practices before.”

Images of Harley gleaming with sweat on the turf field as his arm muscles rippled flashed across Peter’s brain. He pushed them away. “Yeah, but I finished twenty minutes ago and you’re _still here._” His tone was light but his stomach did flips. Peter nibbled on his lower lip to stop himself from saying any more.

Harley shrugged. “Liz is in my AP Gov class and I just wanted to ask her a few questions about our test next week.”

Peter’s heart skipped a beat. Just like that, the other shoe had dropped. Of course, Harley was here to score a date. His breakup with Bryce before summer break was public and messy. As Harley’s longest relationship, its dramatic ending left Peter to pick up the broken pieces of Harley. Many summer nights were spent on the floor of Aunt May’s apartment as the two boys watched movie after movie while eating too much ice cream.

Since Bryce, Harley hadn’t been on a date with anyone in practically four months – a new Keener record. Peter sighed heavily. He had naively thought that maybe, just _maybe_, this time would be different.

“Liz Toomes, huh? That’s…new.”

“Not an athlete, right?” Harley sank further into the plastic chair. His knee was touching Peter’s in this new position. Neither boy moved. “Because that’d been going sooo well,” Harley scoffed before continuing, “Figured I’d try dating someone different for a change.”

_I’m literally right here, _is what Peter thought. “Yeah, Liz is great,” is what he said instead. His tone fell flat.

“She’s hot too.”

Peter didn’t dignify that with a response. He instead dug his fingernails a little deeper into his palms as his fist clenched. The two sat in silence until people started standing to collect their belongings. Practice was over. Peter’s heart sank while a feeling of dread washed over him. He looked off into the distance, a little glassy-eyed.

“Well, I’ll see you Monday in the lab, yeah?”

Harley was already getting up from his chair. “Yup,” he popped the ‘p’ and turned back to wink at Peter, “Wish me luck.”

“Sure, luck,” Peter muttered sarcastically under his breath. Harley was already out of range.

No one could resist Harley Keener when he turned up the charm, and after three years of knowing Liz, Peter knew that he was just her type. He turned away, unable to watch Harley ask out somebody who wasn’t Peter. Yet again.

Peter made his way over to join MJ and Ned on the other side of the gymnasium. They were both packing their things at a nearby table. For the past four years, Friday game night at Peter’s was a ritual for the trio. Tonight, Ned had packed Catan and Peter had Cards Against Humanity already sitting out on the coffee table. The night’s festivities would be just the distraction Peter needed to pointedly not think about Harley.

“Hey guys, almost ready to go?” Peter cringed at the sound of his voice as it came out wrong. Ned and MJ looked up at the sound.

“Pete, are you okay? You don’t look so good,” Ned asked, brow furrowed in concern.

MJ just looked amused. “Peter’s mad that Harley is trying to ask out Liz instead of him.”

Ned whipped around to locate the pair while Peter hung his head in defeat. He didn’t even try to deny MJ’s statement. “Can we just go?” He asked quietly, staring down at his shoes to hide the slight flush on his face.

The trio left soon after and spared Peter the sight of Harley and Liz leaving the gymnasium together, heads bowed low while engaged in deep conversation.

\--

Three months later, Harley and Liz were still going “strong.” Early on, it became apparent that they were, what Peter dubbed, a relationship strobe light: on one day, off the next. With winter melting into spring, lacrosse preseason rapidly approached and the decathlon team was training harder than ever for USAD Nationals in April. Peter wondered how the couple’s already rocky relationship would survive the strain of doubled down commitments.

On the surface, the couple had managed so far at juggling obligations. However, they were still in the winter lull where Harley had time to attend every single decathlon practice with Liz. Peter entered a love-hate relationship with Harley’s new routine early on. Since Liz was team captain he could do little more than just watch her, meaning that Peter would entertain Harley for 60% of acadeca practice. He wouldn’t complain about extra time spent with Harley, but it still hurt every time Peter caught him sharing secretive glances his girlfriend.

At first, Peter thought the new relationship dynamics would bring him closer to Liz. After all, he was the star member of her decathlon team and Harley’s friend. Peter soon found that, between the couple’s semi-regular public displays of affection and Liz taking away weekends that Peter used to have with Harley, quite the opposite happened.

He liked it better when Harley only dated jocks.

First thing the following Monday, Harley made a B-line for Peter at his locker. “Hey,” he leaned in close and Peter greedily inhaled the scent of Harley’s aftershave, “Just wanted to let you know that Liz and I are taking a break again.”

Peter pulled back with a skeptical look. “What? Since when? You guys _literally_ just had date night on Saturday!” Peter would know since Harley cancelled their plans for it. He was still feeling a little salty.

Harley sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “We got into another fight and I’m just tired of the drama.” He didn’t elaborate. Peter knew not to ask if Harley wasn’t ready to talk about it.

He smiled softly up at the taller man. “Well, you’re still working in the lab tonight, right?”

Harley nodded and slung an arm over the door of Peter’s locker, moving in a little closer.

“If you want, you can come back to mine after. We haven’t had a movie marathon in months and May would love to see you again! We can watch Star Wars,” Peter mentally chided himself. Harley hated Star Wars. He hurriedly added, “or Star Trek! Whatever you want. You’re the one that needs-”

Harley cut his rambling off with a laugh, “I’d love to.”

Peter’s answering smile could probably light up a room. He was going to Hell for it, but Peter cherished the days, weeks occasionally, when Harley and Liz took a break because he got his Harley back. “Cool! I’ll let May know.”

He pulled his phone out of his pocket while Harley smirked, “You know I love to see Aunt May.” Harley winked and Peter cringed. He knew that Harley wasn’t serious, but any comments about May still skeeved Peter out. “We can stop by that bodega by yours for snacks. I’ll buy.”

Peter beamed. This week was already looking up.

\--

For their internship, Peter and Harley shared an intern space in the Research & Design Department of the New York Branch of Stark Industries. During this spring trimester, Harley had the lab to himself on Tuesdays while Peter worked alone on Wednesdays. It was nice to have at least one day a week where they didn’t have to worry about bumping elbows or being overly cautious of the other’s project.

Unfortunately, this also made Wednesday Peter’s least favorite day of the week. At least Harley’s absence was made up for it in sticky notes. What started as the most logical way to leave memos for the other turned into a _thing_. From actual reminders to rambling thoughts, Peter and Harley would litter the other’s desk with post-it notes.

While Peter was itching in anticipation, he purposefully prolonged reading the notes that Harley had written for him the night before. First, Peter shrugged off his jacket and neatly hung it over one of the hooks on the back of the door. Next, he took out his laptop and dug up his pencil case from the depths of his backpack, placing them carefully on the table to not disturb the sticky notes (and pointedly not looking at Harley’s scrawled handwriting). Then, Peter hung his bag alongside his coat.

The anticipation was killing him, but Peter still wasn’t ready to look at Harley’s notes – not yet. Instead, he walked to the other side of the room and pulled his lab notebook off the shelf. Peter took his time settling in and waited for the desktop computer to boot up before he allowed himself to finally look down at Harley’s neon post-its. Peter greedily started reading:

_Reasons why Peter Parker is the best:_

He laughed at the first note. Harley’s handwriting was so large that the 3x3” was barely big enough to contain the words. Moving down to the next memo, Peter’s lips curled into a smile.

_\- He watches Star Trek with me even when he hates it_

It’s true, on Monday night Peter had sat through all three Stark Trek reboots at Harley’s request. Moving on, he noted the remaining post-it’s were pink instead of yellow; Harley must have run out.

_\- He’s the smartest person on Midtown’s acadeca team_

Smug smile on his lips, Peter had the overwhelming urge to take a picture of the note and send it to Liz. He would be kicked off the decathlon team, sure, but it would be worth it. Peter’s cheeks were starting to hurt from grinning so hard. He continued:

_\- He always knows how to make me feel better_

Peter’s heart ached. If only Harley could see how much Peter truly cared about him and would continue to, revolving door of significant others be damned.

_\- He puts ups with my shit_

Again, quiet laughter filled the small room.

_\- He’s one of my best friends_

Friends.

The word bounced around Peter’s head like a ping-pong ball. All he would ever be to Harley was a _friend_.

Peter slammed his fist down on the desk before scrubbing angrily at his face. An ache so deep filled his chest that Peter could feel it in his bones. He ran a hand through his hair and stood abruptly. Carefully stacking the post-it notes, Peter crossed the room and slid them into the side pocket of his backpack.

He didn’t even have the heart to be upset when Harley and Liz got back together three days later.

\--

His bag hit the desk with a resounding ‘thud’ as he threw it down. The MacBook inside had definitely taken a hit, but Peter couldn’t be bothered to care. After leaving decathlon practice early he headed straight for the lab, wanting nothing else than to be alone.

Harley went and ruined everything by promposing to Liz during practice. With less than a month left until prom, Peter really didn’t think Harley would ask her. Right up until he did, of course. There had been flowers, a poster and ‘oohs’ and ‘awws’ from his teammates – it had been too much for Peter. He left the gymnasium with the heels of his palms pressed against his eyes to stop the tears threatening to well up and overflow. MJ and Ned tried to stop him, but Peter brushed them off on his way out.

Thankfully, today was Peter’s one day alone in his and Harley’s joint lab. While the desktop booted up, Peter grabbed his lab notebook from where it sat on the shelf. He was intent on finishing as much of his project as he could to avoid Harley at their internship for the next week. Peter turned to a fresh page and started angrily scribbling down project notes. The pencil dug so deeply into the paper that it indented onto the next three pages.

After a while, the stark silence started to grate on Peter’s nerves. He abhorred being alone with his thoughts. “Karen, turn on the music, please.”

_I’m only human, and I bleed when I fall down…_

Peter jumped a foot in the air as the speakers flooded the small lab space with the strong vocals of Christina Perri. _This_ is what Harley chose to listen to when he was alone in the lab, seriously? “Oh hell no…” Peter muttered to himself. “Karen, play something upbeat.”

The music switched to mainstream pop. Peter hummed along contentedly as he entered data points into an Excel spreadsheet for the next twenty minutes.

_I can't write one song that's not about you._

_Can't drink without thinkin' about you._

_Is it too late to tell you that…_

_Everything means nothing if I can't have you?_

Peter’s fingers paused, hovering over the keyboard as he contemplated the new song. “Karen, turn the music up.”

Nothing could distract Peter from a foul mood better than a good old-fashioned bop. Not to mention that he could relate to the song emotionally, physically and spiritually. Karen obliged while Peter moved his notebook off to the side so he had room to drum his fingers along with the beat.

By the time the next chorus rolled around, Peter was fully belting along to _If I Can’t Have You_. He banged his palms down on the lab bench to echo the drumbeats while taking a few moments in between verses to quickly run statistical analyses. A moment of self-awareness overcame Peter when the song bridged into the last chorus, but it was swiftly brushed aside.

While no one had ever told Peter he had a bad singing voice, he highly doubted Shawn Mendes was being done justice. Who cared though, right? There was no one else in the small lab, and the door was properly sealed. What was a little impromptu karaoke session between Peter and these four walls?

Harley wasn’t scheduled to work in the lab, but the team’s away game on Friday was in New Jersey. That left today as the only afternoon he had free to make up the internship hours he would miss. Lacrosse season and the Stark Internship never meshed in terms of scheduling, but Harley made it work so far over the past two years.

Whistling a mindless tune, he continued ambling down the hallway toward the lab. The closer Harley got to the door, the better he could hear music playing from their shared lab. _Geez, Pete_. Harley frowned. Thoughts drifting to Peter, he recalled how strangely the other boy was acting as of late. It seemed like he was avoiding Harley at every turn. _I should ask if he wants to do something this Saturday._

Harley stopped short of the laboratory door. His eyebrows knitted together in concentration while he wracked his brain. No reason came to mind as to why Peter would be mad at him. Harley wanted to chalk it all up to end of semester stress – it was their senior year after all. Peter had the Stark Internship, final exams, his independent study and Nationals coming up at the end of the month. No matter how Harley’s brain tried to rationalize it, something else was still eating away in the back of his mind. He just couldn’t figure out what.

The sudden crescendo of music derailed Harley’s train of thought. He could clearly hear the upbeat melodies of some mainstream pop song emulating from their lab. Curious, Harley took the last few steps and peered into the room through the glass window.

Immediately, his perplexed expression morphed into a wide grin. Inside their tiny lab space, Peter was jamming to some sappy love song. Harley let out a quiet chuckle. His face actually hurt from smiling so widely. Peter hadn’t seemed this relaxed in a long time. He had been so serious since the fall, and as seniors they were supposed to be having fun.

_I can't write one song that's not about you._

_Can't drink without thinkin' about you._

_Is it too late to tell you that…_

_Everything means nothing if I can't have you?_

Harley chose to wait in the hallway until the song was over, not wanting to ruin Peter’s moment. He had never heard Peter sing before, but Harley wasn’t surprised to find he was fairly good at it. His smile softened to something fond; Peter was good at everything.

The boy in question currently had his eyes closed as he belted away with the song, head shaking in time with the beat and hands drumming furiously to the tempo. Peter was his own one-man band. Harley tapped his foot to the beat, laughing again when Peter stopped drumming to sing into an imaginary microphone. The scene was adorable. Peter was adorable.

_Wait, what?_

As the song ended, Peter shakily exhaled. He didn’t know what spirit overtook his body, but he had really needed that. Something a little softer made its way out of the overhead speakers and Peter resumed his data analysis. Engrossed in numbers, he nearly fell off his seat in surprise when the door opened.

“What are you doing here!” He blurted out, mortified to see Harley standing in the doorway with his backpack slung over one shoulder.

“Why, doing something you shouldn’t be?” Harley winked at him. His tone was teasing but Peter still felt like he was going to be sick.

“N-no, it’s just not your day to be here.”

Peter’s mind was going a mile per minute as he prayed to every God known to man that Harley hadn’t witnessed him earlier. Due to his blind panic, Peter missed the crestfallen look on Harley’s face.

“Away game on Friday. Need to make up my hours,” Harley said while he squeezed past Peter. He patted him on the back in the process, adhering a neon post-it note to the other man’s sweater.

Hearing the tell-tale crinkle of paper on fabric, Peter reached an arm behind his back. After a few moments spent blindly groping for the note, his hands finally made contact and he wrenched the paper from his back. Peter read the message while Harley settled into his own workstation beside him.

“You sure you wanna hang out on Saturday?” Peter’s expression was puzzled. Soon, Harley’s own mirrored it.

“Yeah, what’s wrong with Saturday?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Just thought maybe you’d wanna be with _Liz_ since you just asked her to prom today, after all.”

Harley didn’t miss the way that Peter said her name but chose to ignore it. “Oh yeah, I forgot.”

Peter looked dumbfounded. “You…_forgot_ you asked your girlfriend to prom? Harley, it was only like two hours ago!”

It was true, Harley could barely remember his promposal. He recalled people clapping around them, Liz’s squeal of delight upon seeing the roses he bought her and an immediate sadness when Harley realized Peter left practice early. He shrugged, turning back to his lab bench. “No biggie. It’s just prom. Besides, everyone kind of expects us to go together, anyway.”

Peter’s gaze softened. “Harley, you don’t have to keep doing what you _think_ you should do. Do what you _want_ to do.”

Harley looked back over at Peter and cocked his head, a blasé look on his face. “Like I said, Parker, it’s whatever.”

Before Peter could respond, Harley affixed another post-it note to the sleeve of his sweater. He peered down at the messy scrawl cutting through the fluorescent orange: ‘You’re aDORKable’

Peter laughed and the heavy atmosphere around them lifted.

\--

“Hello?” Peter asked groggily as he answered his phone, voice still rough with sleep. The clock on his nightstand told him it was 2 am. They had school in six hours, what could Harley possibly want.

“Hey. I, uh, I’m sorry to call you so late but I – Liz – oh God…” Harley trailed off. He sounded close to tears and Peter was suddenly much more awake.

“Harley, what’s wrong?”

“Liz – she…just like Bryce.”

Peter was out of bed and already pulling on a pair of sweatpants. “Hold on, I’m on my way over to yours.”

“Don’t bother I’m, uh, I’m actually standing outside your apartment building.”

“WHAT!” Peter exclaimed before abruptly cutting off, remembering to lower his voice so he didn’t wake May, “Harley, what were you gonna do if I didn’t pick up the phone?” His words came out strangled.

“Can you please just come let me in?” Harley’s voice was small and broken. Peter hated every second he had to listen to it.

Ten minutes later, Harley and Peter were sitting together on the bottom bunk in Peter’s room. He was impressed that Harley recounted the entire story without shedding any tears. Like Bryce, Liz had been cheating on him for the past few weeks, claiming that she was “unsure if they were broken up” (they definitely weren’t). What made Liz’s betrayal worse was that she hooked up with one of Harley’s fellow teammates.

“So much for bro code,” Harley laughed bitterly from beneath a mountain of blankets.

“Harley, none of this is your fault.” Peter said gently as one hand absentmindedly combed through the other’s hair.

“Why does this keep happening to me. Is there…is there something wrong with me?” Harley’s voice was the ghost of a whisper and Peter hated it. The tone didn’t fit the outgoing, charismatic Harley Keener that he knew and loved.

Peter turned to face Harley. He used his hands to force Harley to look him in the eyes. “Harley Keener, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You – you’re…” Peter trailed off and let his hands slide away from Harley’s face. He looked away before speaking again, “you’re perfect.”

Harley chuckled. “Nah, Pete,” his voice was soft as he played idly with Peter’s right hand, “that’s you.”

The two boys didn’t go to sleep until well past four in the morning, tangled up in each other on the bottom bunk. Harley didn’t want Peter to leave and Peter didn’t want to move. May found them wrapped up in each other in the morning. As she would tell Peter months later while recounting the sight, her heart positively melted.

Peter thought that last night’s fiasco would’ve been the straw to break the camel’s back. Maybe, _just maybe_, he would be able to finally tell Harley how he felt, and the sentiment be reciprocated.

He had never been so wrong.

“But Harley, why? Why are you doing this?” Peter was incredulous as he slammed his locker shut. He turned away from the other man. How could Harley still want to go to prom with Liz after what she did to him. _They weren’t even together anymore_!

“I’m done with the drama, Pete!” Harley shouted, finally snapping. His voice echoed throughout the hallway. It had emptied of students long ago.

Peter was speechless. Over the years he had known Harley, he never raised his voice.

“I’m done,” Harley reiterated, reigning in his earlier outburst. “I’m tired and I just wanna forget this ever happened. If I can suffer through prom tomorrow tonight, then we can graduate and I’ll never see any of them again.” Harley looked down dejectedly.

Peter could physically see the fight drain out of him. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off.

“Listen, Pete, no – nobody but you knows.” Harley looked Peter in the eye, effectively freezing him in place. “I can’t go through this again. I told Liz we’re over for good, but nobody except you knows what happened and…I wanna keep it that way so – so that’s why I’m still taking her to prom.”

Neither boy said anything after Harley’s admission. The two were alone in an empty hallway; the other students had already gone to class. Peter wordlessly wrapped Harley into a hug.

\--

Tonight was the night Peter had been dreading since April: prom.

Senior prom should have been the highlight of Peter’s school year, but now it just felt kind of empty. Peter, Ned and MJ were going together as friends while Harley was still attending as Liz’s date. He had let Peter tell MJ and Ned that the couple wasn’t together anymore, but he omitted the ‘why’. Knowing Liz for as long as the two did though, Ned and MJ could take a few guesses.

The trio collectively decided on navy for their main color. Peter and Ned wore navy suits that matched MJ’s dress. Underneath their suit jackets, Ned and Peter had on white button downs and baby pink ties (well, Peter’s was a bowtie). Ned finished his outfit off with a matching fedora. MJ’s corsage and the boys’ boutonnieres were white roses. Peter didn’t want to brag, but the three of them were quite the sight to behold.

This year, prom was in the ballroom of a swanky hotel in Greenwich Village. The ballroom extended onto a rooftop deck that sat forty floors above the city. Ned was initially apprehensive of the height, but Peter was itching to see the outdoor space. Where else was he going to get a view like this of New York City? Besides, like he told Ned and MJ, the Instagram opportunities were endless.

Upon entering the ballroom, the trio found a table off to the side to camp out at while Peter scanned the room every thirty seconds.

“Looking for your boy?” MJ asked teasingly, jolting Peter out of his thoughts.

“Uh…no?”

MJ rolled her eyes. “Parker, we’ve been here for fifteen minutes and your head hasn’t stopped swiveling.” Ned snickered next to her. Peter’s jaw clenched; what great friends he had.

When Betty and her date, Jason, joined the trio at their table a few minutes later Peter barely noticed, still looking for a certain blonde haired, blue-eyed boy. On his next sweep Peter spotted the pair easily. Harley was wearing a simple dark grey tux with a hideous fuchsia colored tie. Liz stood next to him in a matching dress. While the cut and style was flattering, the color she chose was hideous.

“Oh God, what is she wearing?” Betty asked while suppressing laughter from across the table. All heads turned to the couple entering the ballroom.

“I think I need sunglasses,” MJ squinted at the pair. Ned jokingly offered her his, but she swatted his hands away.

“I kind of think she pulls it off,” Ned said.

Peter, however, was speechless. No matter how ridiculous the color, Harley could never look anything less than amazing. The tux fit him in all the right places. Liz moved off to sit with her friends and Harley begrudgingly followed, shooting Peter’s table a longing glance. Peter thumbed the folded up piece of paper in his pocket and stared back contemplatively.

A fancy napkin hit Peter in the face. He made a noise of surprise as it fell into his lap.

“Might wanna mop up your drool. Dinner’s gonna be served soon.”

Peter glared at MJ as he snatched the cloth off his thighs and set it onto the table with more force than necessary. Ned took pity on Peter and distracted him with deep conversation throughout the meal. His magic must have worked since Peter’s gaze only strayed towards Harley five times over the next forty-five minutes.

After, while dinner was being cleared away, the live band did their final sound check. Peter was excited for the post-dinner festivities. He loved dancing and needed to relieve some of the tension he was feeling. Also, he couldn’t wait to have one last night of fun with his friends, since they were all graduating seniors. Peter’s gaze strayed towards Harley once more and his happy mood deflated a little. He sincerely hoped that Harley would ditch Liz for good at some point tonight.

An hour into the band’s set and Liz still hadn’t left Harley’s side all night. Peter was practically seething. As Ned pointed out, at least the band was phenomenal. They covered everything from mainstream bops to classic jams, so between dancing and shouting at his friends over the music, Peter tolerated the Harley sized hole in his night.

“Hey Midtown Tech, thanks for having us tonight. You guys have been awesome!” The cheers of the students drowned out the lead singer’s next words. Peter wiped sweat from his brow, suit jacket long abandoned at the table. The room was stifling.

“We’re gonna slow it down for a little bit with the next few songs, so grab that special someone and join us on the dance floor!”

Silent murmurs bounced around the crowd as couples started filling the floor. Peter visibly paled. He felt sick. As the guitarist strummed the opening chords, Peter turned on his heel and stiffly walked back to their table. Betty and Jason stayed on the dance floor, but MJ and Ned followed him. They sat down while Peter grabbed his phone and suit jacket. He slipped through the French doors that led to the patio and out into the night.

From her seat, MJ watched Peter slip away toward the rooftop deck. He furiously wiped his eyes with his shirt sleeves and her heart broke for Peter. She sighed and looked around the room, gaze immediately locking onto Harley and Liz. Liz refused to let Harley out of her clutches and he looked absolutely miserable slow dancing with her. MJ rolled her eyes and exchanged a knowing glance with Ned. For Peter, she was prepared to make The Sacrifice.

Besides, prom sucked anyway.

MJ stood and hiked up the hem of her navy gown before making her way over to where Harley and Liz were dancing. Armed with bright red punch, she was prepared to make the scene of a lifetime. Harley met her eye as she approached. MJ gave him a mischievous smile and gestured with her head toward the door that led to the rooftop deck. Gaze narrowing in on the cup in MJ’s hand, Harley forcefully removed himself from Liz’s grasp as he realized MJ’s intentions. His date only had a few moments to be confused at Harley’s withdrawal before MJ executed her plan.

Harley turned and started wading through the crowd, not caring to watch the scene unfolding behind him. His ears caught sound of Liz’s piercing scream over the band’s music. Harley smiled, he would thank MJ later. Now, it was time for Harley to do something that should’ve happened ages ago.

Peter went slack jawed as he stepped out onto the rooftop deck. It was breathtakingly beautiful. String lights cast a warm glow around the deck and climbing hydrangeas lined one side of the railing. Not only did their purple hue add a pop of color to the night, they also enveloped the entire space in the sweet smell of flowers.

Looking around, Peter spotted two other couples stealing a quiet moment to themselves. Aside from them, he was alone outside. Peter walked over to a stretch of railing that was currently uninhabited and leaned his elbows against it. He looked up. It was well past sunset; the sky was dark and only the faintest hint of starlight shone down from above, illuminated by a thin crescent moon.

He sighed and turned his gaze downward at the city below. Peter had pictured tonight going so, so differently. He hung his head in his hands while his fingers raked through his hair. May had spent thirty minutes meticulously styling Peter’s locks and they were ruined now. The silence lingered on while music from the band faintly reached Peter’s ears.

A door opened and the opening notes of _Faithfully_ by Journey spilled into the night. Someone had joined him on the rooftop. The hair on the back of Peter’s neck stood up; he didn’t need to turn around to know Harley was approaching him.

“You look really nice tonight.”

Peter grinned to himself but refused to turn around just yet. “I’m sorry Liz picked horrible colors.”

Harley let out a genuine laugh. The sound was too tempting, Peter had to turn and look at the other boy. Back now to the railing, the two boys stood face to face. Harley was only a few feet away from Peter, bathed in the yellow glow of fairy lights. He was shamelessly admiring Peter in his prom tux. Peter flushed a little under his gaze.

“How did you finally escape Liz?” He didn’t particularly care for the answer, Peter just needed to get Harley to stop looking at him like that. His heart couldn’t take much more.

Smirking, Harley moved a little closer. “You can thank MJ later. I’m sure she’ll love to tell you the story.” He reached into the right side of his jacket and rummaged around in his pocket. “I have something for you. Been meaning to give it to you all night, actually.”

A flash of neon caught Peter’s eye as Harley triumphantly pulled something from his tux. It was a crumpled up post-it note. Peter reached inside his own pant pocket, fingers grasping the paper it found there. Harley smoothed out the sticky note and Peter’s heart jackhammered inside of his ribcage with anticipation. He smiled down at the paper in his hands before sticking it to the lapel of Peter’s blazer. While he leaned back to admire his handiwork, Peter pulled a matching piece of neon from his trouser pocket.

Peter hesitated as he fingered the folded post-it. Before he gave it to Harley, Peter wanted to be sure; sure that this wasn’t just a fever dream. He held his breath and glanced down at the neon parchment adorning his lapel.

_I love you_

Unexpected tears welled up in Peter’s eyes as he broke into a smile. Looking up to meet Harley’s gaze, he stuck his own note to the other boy’s hideous fuchsia tie.

_I love you_

The look on Harley’s face matched Peter’s. The soft glow of the string lights illuminated him, casting an almost ethereal glow around Harley. He leaned in close before reaching around Peter. The woodsy scent of his cologne filled Peter’s senses and he lamented the moment Harley pulled back.

“For you,” Harley held out a small bunch of the purple hydrangeas in his hand.

Peter laughed and accepted the gift, threading them safely into his boutonniere. The moment was cheesy and perfect. After two years of wanting, Peter could hardly believe that the Harley in front of him was real and not a figment of his lovesick imagination. Harley leaned in closer, but Peter gently pressed a hand against the other boy’s warm chest, stopping his advance.

“How long?”

“What?” Harley’s eyebrows drew together in confusion as he stared down at Peter.

“I just…I need to hear you say it.” Peter needed to know, needed to hear Harley say it: that this wasn’t just a rebound and Peter wouldn’t be throwing away their friendship by wanting more than Harley could offer him.

Harley sighed and turned away, moving to lean on the railing beside Peter. His gaze surveyed the world below as the city lights reflected in his eyes. “I think I’ve always been a little in love with you, Peter Parker. I just didn’t realize it until the day I saw you singing along to that god-awful Shawn Mendes song.”

Peter looked horrified at the revelation, but the grin he received from Harley as he continued talking placated him. “Something just clicked,” he snapped his fingers for emphasis, “in my head. And I knew.” Harley took a long pause, swallowing thickly, “God, I wanted to tell you so badly that night in your apartment after Liz, but –”

“It wasn’t the right time,” Peter finished for him.

The two turned towards each other in sync. Peter was looking up at Harley like he hung he moon. This time, he didn’t push the other boy away when he leaned down. Their lips came together softly, tentatively at first. It was just a soft press, but Peter’s body was still ignited by the contact. His fingers gripped Harley’s lapels tighter to draw him closer. After a few heartbeats, both pulled back in tandem. Harley rested his forehead against Peter’s and his arms came up to encircle the shorter man’s waist. This time, Peter smiled when their lips met again. His fingers traveled up and weaved their way into Harley hair, using it as leverage to bring them closer together. Peter tipped his head back to chase a better the angle

When they finally pulled away Peter was a little breathless. His senses were filled with the sweet fragrance of hydrangeas and the tantalizing scent of Harley’s cologne. The couple was bathed in a soft glow while soft music continued to filter out from inside. A car horn honked stories below them, reminding the couple of the bustling city.

It was perfect.

Peter and Harley stayed out on the patio for a little while longer, reveling in the other’s company, before heading back inside. Linking hands, they turned their backs on the night and walked toward ballroom.

When they reached the French doors, Peter stopped Harley. “Are you sure you wanna do this? Everyone thinks you’re still with Liz.”

“Definitely.” Harley beamed down at Peter. “This guy I really like told me that I should stop caring about what other people think.”

“He sounds pretty smart,” Peter retorted.

“He is.” Harley held the door open and they walked inside, hand-in-hand once again.

MJ and Ned spotted them first, then Betty and Jason shortly after. The quartet beamed before letting out noises of appreciation. Peter blushed furiously while Harley had a stupid smile on his face. The band must have finished their set while the pair was outside. A DJ was on the stage now for the rest of the night. Looking around for a fuchsia monstrosity, Peter realized that Liz was nowhere in sight. Harley and Peter sat down together at the table, fingers still linked.

“Hey, you’ve got something on your jacket.” MJ teased as she flicked the sticky note still adhered to Peter’s lapel. He looked down, pleasantly surprised. Peter had momentarily forgotten it was there.

“Does this mean we’re not prom dates anymore?” Ned asked from across the table.

Peter wasn’t sure if Ned was joking or not, but still laughed. He looked over to Harley and found blue eyes already staring back at him. Senior year hadn’t gone the way Peter originally planned, but at least it all worked out in the end.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed the story, feel free to drop a comment, kudos, or bookmark!
> 
> Thanks :D
> 
> @Spooky-Parker on Tumblr


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